Beef Stroganoff(from French Bœuf Stroganoff - Stroganoff beef), although the name is French, but beef stroganoff is a Russian dish that has become widespread throughout the world. It can also be found under the names " Meat Stroganoff style», « Beef Stroganoff», « Beth-Stroganov" or " Beth a la Stroganov».
As is often the case with popular dishes, there is no single version about the history of its origin. beef stroganoff does not exist. What is known for sure is that it is connected with the name of Count Stroganov. Also, the exact recipe for this dish has not survived, so under the name "beef stroganoff" you can find many variations of the preparation, and each of them will be called “classic”, although, unfortunately, it is not known what the truly classic recipe was. The only thing on which, perhaps, all the recipes agree is beef stroganoff- these are thinly sliced pieces of beef in sour cream sauce.
Ingredients
- beef 500 g
- onion 1 PC. (150-200 g)
- sour cream 150 g
- flour 1 tbsp. spoon
- tomato paste 1 teaspoon
- water 150 ml
- salt
- black pepper
Now a little about the ingredients. In general, there is nothing incomprehensible here, the only thing I would like to draw your attention to is the meat. Ideally, this should be fresh beef tenderloin, but, for example, in our stores the word “fresh” rarely applies to the tenderloin that is sold, and it is also quite expensive. Therefore, in the absence of a good cut, take fresh beef pulp (without veins).
From the specified amount of ingredients you get 4-6 servings of beef stroganoff.
Preparation
We prepare all the ingredients. Wash and dry the meat. 
Without cutting the beef, lightly pound it. I do this through cling film so that the meat does not break and the hammer does not become clogged with pieces of meat, which are then very difficult to wash. 
Cut the meat across the grain into thin slices (about 5 mm thick). 
Cut the slices into thin strips. The thinner we cut the meat, the faster it will fry and the more juice will remain inside. 
Cut the onion into thin quarter rings. 
Pour a little vegetable oil into a frying pan and heat it very well. We will fry the meat in a very hot frying pan in small portions, so that the meat lies on the surface of the frying pan in one layer. We need the meat pieces to immediately grab a crust, and then all the juice will remain inside. If we put a lot of meat into the pan at once, it will give off juice and may be tough. There is no need to add salt at this stage, because... salt also provokes the release of juice from the meat, we will do this later. Fry the meat for 2-3 minutes, turning, until a crust forms. Because Our pieces are very thin, this time is enough, the meat will have time to fry. 
Place the fried beef on a plate and fry all the remaining meat in the same way. 
Pour a little vegetable oil into the same frying pan, heat it well again and fry the onion until golden brown. 
Sprinkle the fried onion with flour, mix well and fry for about 1 more minute. 
Add sour cream and tomato paste. 
Pour water and mix everything well. 
Place the meat in the pan, add salt and pepper, mix well and simmer for about 5 more minutes. 
After 5 minutes, open the lid and taste the meat, and now there are several options for the development of further events. If it is soft, then you are lucky with the beef, you cut and fried it correctly, and in general, in this case, your beef Stroganoff is ready. And this was the ideal option, however, due to the quality of beef in our stores, another option is increasingly happening: the meat turned out to be tough. If this happens, then we are not upset, but simply close it again with the lid and continue to simmer over low heat until soft. This may take from 10 to 40 minutes. If you have to simmer for a long time and the sauce thickens too much, just add a little more water to it. When the beef is finally tender, remove the pan from the heat. 
Choose a side dish for beef stroganoff to suit your taste, it goes well with potatoes (fried and mashed), rice, pasta. Bon appetit! 
The beef stroganoff recipe was created by a French chef who cooked for Count Stroganov. Translated into Russian, the name of the new dish sounded like “beef Stroganoff.” The delicate culinary masterpiece was quickly appreciated and served to the count’s table more than once. Nowadays, this dish is still popular for its relative ease of preparation and consistently delicious results. Let's talk about how to cook the right beef stroganoff, so that the juicy meat melts in your mouth, as it was originally intended.
Delicious beef stroganoff at home: preparing the meat
Beef tenderloin is best suited for this; in extreme cases, you can take the thick edge, sirloin or kidney part. Brisket, shoulder, neck, thigh and rump are absolutely not suitable for this dish. There is no need to beat the tenderloin, but other types of meat can be lightly beaten, after which it should be cut into pieces 2-3 cm wide across the grain. At this stage of cooking, chefs differ in their opinions. Some believe that meat should be cut coarsely, because the larger the pieces, the juicier the meat. Other chefs prefer small strips so that the meat noodles are well-fried - usually the classic beef stroganoff of Soviet times was prepared using this technology.
Flour breading for frying
The pieces of meat are sprinkled with salt, pepper and flour, and then mixed thoroughly. You can simply roll the meat in flour on a cutting board. If you are preparing a holiday version of the dish, try to complicate the breading process a little - dry the meat with a towel, place it in a plastic bag, add a couple of tablespoons of flour and a pinch of salt, and then mix with rubbing movements. Next, experienced chefs transfer the pieces of beef into a colander and shake lightly to remove excess flour. There are different opinions on when it is better to salt and pepper meat - you can do this at the breading stage, or you can do it during the frying process - it is easy to experimentally determine which cooking method will take root in your kitchen. After all, every housewife has the right to her secrets!
We fry beef stroganoff according to the rules
There are several subtleties of frying meat Stroganoff style. The frying pan with oil (ghee or vegetable) should be well heated. Place the pieces of meat in a frying pan and fry them on both sides until brown. Some cooks fry beef stroganoff together with chopped onions, while others fry the onions separately. The most important thing is that the meat does not leak juice - the surface of the pieces should look as if covered with varnish. All the juice remains inside, which makes the beef stroganoff very tender and juicy, and if the meat is stewed in its own juice, it will turn out dry and harsh. When the meat is fried, you can add grated tomatoes from which the skin has been removed to the frying pan; after this, the beef stroganoff is immediately transferred to a saucepan and mixed with the sauce.
The sauce is everything!
Beef stroganoff sauce is the culmination of cooking. A bad sauce can ruin the taste of meat, but a good one will save the dish, even if the beef turns out to be a little dry. Usually, for gravy, sour cream is mixed with tomato paste - this is the simplest option. There is a more complex recipe: broth and milk are added to flour fried in butter, then sour cream and mustard are added, the meat is poured with sauce, brought to a boil and cooked for several minutes.
Different beef stroganoff recipes offer different sauces - with cream, mayonnaise, garlic, thyme, soy sauce or teriyaki, with mushrooms, onions, with fortified wine and beef jelly. Beef Stroganoff is usually served with potatoes, rice, pasta, fresh vegetables, salads and tomatoes. Experiment with different sauces and side dishes to diversify your family diet, although classic beef stroganoff, prepared according to the strict canons of Russian-French cuisine, rarely gets boring.
They are also prepared with pork, chicken and turkey, but it is better not to use lamb for these purposes - the meat is too fatty. A properly prepared dish always turns out soft and melts in the mouth, so children eat it with pleasure. Treat your loved ones to classic beef stroganoff with a spicy sauce, and they will probably ask for more!
Cooking beef stroganoff
Wash 500 g of meat (loin), remove tendons, cut into small slices, beat them with a hoe or rolling pin, and then finely cut into strips. Peeled and washed onions - 2 medium heads - chop and fry in oil. When the onion is fried, add the chopped meat, sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste, and fry for 5-6 minutes, stirring with a fork. Then sprinkle the meat with 1 tbsp. l. flour, stir and fry again for 2-3 minutes. After this, add 1 glass of sour cream, stir and boil for 2-3 minutes, season with salt to taste and simmer over low heat for 10-12 minutes.
Sooner or later, many people want to know what beef stroganoff is. Chefs, ordinary housewives, and just people who like to cook and experiment in cooking are interested in this. Beef Stroganoff is quite famous and it wouldn’t hurt to know how to cook it. You will definitely please your loved ones with this meat, and any holiday will become special.
What is beef stroganoff?
Also called meat Stroganoff. It is very famous, it is prepared in almost all famous restaurants. According to tradition, beef stroganoff is classified as a dish of Russian cuisine, although in fact it has no folk roots and is not classified as a national cuisine. Some chefs claim that this meat is prepared using the traditions of Russian and French cuisines. Beef Stroganoff, the classic recipe for which is actually unknown, has many cooking methods, which we will look at next.
The history of meat Stroganoff style
There are two versions of the origin of such a dish as beef stroganoff. The first of them says that the famous French chef Andre Dupont invented it specifically for Count Alexander Stroganovsky. Alexander was very old, and it was difficult for him to eat solid food, which is why the cook came up with soft beef in a frying pan in a special sauce.
According to another version, which is more widespread, Count Alexander Stroganovsky was very rich and had “open tables.” Their essence was that any person who was more or less decently dressed and not completely stupid could come to dinner with the count. It was for these open tables that the Count's cooks came up with beef fried in small pieces in a frying pan with the addition of sauce. This was very convenient because it was easily divided into portions. The people who came to Stroganovsky's for lunch really liked this dish, and they named it after the count.
Benefits of beef
Stroganoff-style meat, especially if it is made from beef, is very healthy. It has high nutritional value, eliminates all unnecessary acids and trace elements from the body, and normalizes the balance in the stomach. If beef is eaten correctly and in the right quantity, it also increases hemoglobin and strengthens the heart vessels. It also has a beneficial effect on the nervous system and improves human memory. Beef is very useful for people who want to lose weight, as well as for those suffering from diabetes.
Beef Stroganoff: classic recipe
To implement the classic recipe, you need to take beef tenderloin or loin fillet. The meat needs to be lightly beaten and then cut into small pieces, approximately 6 cm in length and 1 cm in width. To make the beef easier to chew, you need to cut it across the grain. You need to fry the meat so that the top is crispy and the inside remains soft. Almost no spices are added to the dish, except black pepper. All other additives depend only on the preferences of the cook. The classic sauce for this dish is made from sour cream and tomato paste. Beef stroganoff should be served with potatoes or rice. The main thing is that the side dish is hot, otherwise the meat will lose its exquisite taste. The dish “Beef Stroganoff from veal” is very often practiced.
Small secrets of cooking meat Stroganoff style
To make the meat tasty and juicy, you must adhere to the following tips:
By observing all these conditions, you can prepare real, tasty, juicy Stroganoff-style meat, which you and your loved ones will definitely enjoy.
Beef Stroganoff with mushrooms
Having learned what beef stroganoff is and how to cook it in the classic version, let's look at several other ways to prepare this type of beef. Mushrooms are always an excellent addition to any meat dish. They will add juiciness and a pleasant aroma to the meat. Let's look at how to cook beef stroganoff (recipe with photos) with mushrooms.
Required Ingredients
- Half a kilo of beef.
- 200 grams of mushrooms (champignons or any other).
- One onion.
- Vegetable oil and sour cream.
- A little flour (2 tablespoons).
- Salt and pepper.
First, lightly pound the beef and cut it into small pieces. The onion needs to be cut into half rings, and the mushrooms into slices. Lightly fry the onion, add chopped mushrooms and simmer until the liquid evaporates. At this time, you need to fry the meat in another frying pan, add flour to it and mix. Add sour cream to the frying pan with mushrooms, add a little water, sprinkle with pepper, add fried meat and simmer for 30 minutes.
If you want to make this dish with pork, then it is prepared in the same way as beef stroganoff, just replace the beef with pork.
Liver Stroganoff meat recipe
When cooking, you can use absolutely any liver. Only depending on its type, you need to properly prepare it for frying. In general, the liver is very useful; it contains many microelements necessary for the body. Let's look at the liver beef stroganoff recipe with photos.
Required Ingredients
- 800 grams of any liver.
- 200 grams of sour cream.
- 50 grams of butter.
- One onion.
- A little flour (1 spoon).
- Half a tablespoon of sugar.
- Salt pepper.
First you need to properly prepare the liver. It must be cleared of any films and cut into cubes. Chicken liver can be cut into arbitrary pieces. After preparation, you need to sprinkle it with sugar, salt and pepper. Cut the onion into half rings. Fry the liver in a dry frying pan for four minutes. In this case, you need to constantly stir it. After this, add the onion and butter and fry for another four minutes. Then you need to pour the flour in there, mix and fry for a couple more minutes. Then add sour cream and simmer until fully cooked. If the sour cream is very thick, you can dilute it with water.
Chicken beef stroganoff
Chicken beef stroganoff is also a fairly common dish. Chicken meat is the most affordable of all and therefore very popular. You can prepare a huge number of different dishes from it.
To prepare chicken Stroganoff you will need:
- Half a kilo of chicken breast.
- One onion.
- Two tablespoons of flour.
- Two tablespoons of sour cream or cream.
- A tablespoon of tomato paste.
- Vegetable oil, salt, pepper, herbs (for decoration);
First you need to wash the chicken fillet well, remove veins and films. Dry the meat on a paper towel. Then lightly beat it with a hammer and cut into pieces one and a half centimeters wide. Then cut the onion into half rings and fry in a frying pan for one minute, remembering to stir it. Dredge the breast pieces in flour, add it to the pan with the onion and fry for another three to four minutes. At this time you need to mix sour cream and tomato paste. The resulting sauce should be added to the frying pan and fry over low heat for ten minutes. Then you need to sprinkle it all with pepper and salt and simmer for another five minutes. The result is juicy, tasty meat that goes well with any side dish.
Beef Stroganoff with tomato
Another option for preparing a dish such as beef stroganoff with chicken is the method of cooking with tomato. For this dish you will need:
- Half a kilo of chicken fillet.
- One large onion.
- Butter - 4 tbsp. l.
- Salt and ground pepper.
To prepare the sauce for this dish you need:
- Flour - 1 tbsp. l.
- Half a glass of milk.
- Tomato juice - one glass.
- Any broth - one glass.
- Butter - one tbsp. l.
- Salt and ground pepper.
First you need to rinse the chicken breast well, clean it of all excess (bones, veins, fat). Then you need to cut it along the grain (no more than one centimeter thick) and beat the resulting pieces with a hammer. Afterwards you need to cut the meat into strips (across the grain). Place the chopped pieces in a plate, add salt and pepper. In this form, you need to cover and leave the meat for two hours so that it marinates properly.
After the fillet has been marinated, you can start cooking it. First you need to chop the onion quite finely and fry it in butter until golden brown. Then add the meat to the frying pan with the onions and fry it until the breast is lightly browned.
After this you need to prepare the sauce. In a dry frying pan, first fry the flour until golden brown, then add one tablespoon of oil and stir. Then you need to pour milk into the frying pan and wait for it to boil. When the milk boils, add tomato juice to the frying pan and wait until it boils. When this also boils, you need to pour in the broth, salt it all, add pepper, cover and cook in a frying pan for about five minutes.
After this, you need to pour the fried meat and onions into the frying pan with the sauce, also add salt and simmer for about ten minutes. The dish is ready! Prepare a side dish for it and serve.
Conclusion
From this article it became clear what beef Stroganoff is, how to prepare it, and what options for preparing it there are. As you can see, this dish is very easy and simple to make, and it tastes very juicy, tender and delicious. You can use different types of meat, and the variety of sauces is just off the charts. It all depends on the personal tastes and preferences of the cook. Cook, experiment and delight your loved ones with culinary masterpieces!
Kopylova Svetlana 05.11.13
It turns out delicious and, most importantly, the meat remains juicy and not dry and fibrous, as it turned out for me before. So now I only cook according to this recipe.
Marina 08.11.13
Thank you for the clarification. I used to fry all the meat entirely and couldn’t understand why it didn’t turn out to be a complete dish. Now I will definitely fry it in batches and hope that everything will work out.
Ksenia V. 11/12/13
Previously, when I cooked beef stroganoff, my meat turned out, as they say, you couldn’t chew it, although I chose fillet. It turns out that the mistake was that I fried beef for the whole family at once, and even in a small frying pan. I don’t add tomato paste either; we like the delicate, creamy taste of the sauce.
Antonina 11/13/13
I often cook this dish because my husband loves it, but I like to add garlic and red pepper to add some spice.
Natalya 11/26/13
I read an interesting article about the history of this dish, and also different options!). But this is not so important now that we have Beef Stroganoff and we can cook it! For this dish, the really important point is the choice of meat; tough and middle-aged beef is strictly excluded...).
Lydia 05.12.13
An amazing dish with its own history and legends). I want to prepare a classic version of this dish for the New Year’s table, since my family especially loves beef in a delicious gravy, and I’ll also think about what to serve as a side dish, there are many options. I think beef stroganoff would be delicious with any side dish).
Alina 07.12.13
I also tried to diversify the traditional recipe by adding tomato sauce and was also disappointed. Indeed, the dish begins to smell of tomato, and the taste of fried meat evaporates somewhere. I usually cook beef stroganoff with sour cream, now I’ll try it with cream :)
Elena 04/13/14
I have prepared this dish many times. But your advice to fry the meat in small portions greatly improved its taste. But before I add flour, I dilute it in a small portion of cold water. Literally a little bit. This is to avoid lumps.
Alyona
Elena, thank you too! I'm glad that my advice was useful, and I will use yours)))
Antonina 01.10.14
I tried to cook a new dish. I didn’t even expect it to turn out so delicious. My children, who usually cannot be forced to eat meat, licked the plates and even asked for more. Thank you!
Zhanna 05.11.14
It is immediately clear that the dish is from the count, the taste is very delicate, refined, sophisticated. They knew how to live, bourgeois))
Irina 01/13/15
Alena, with your recipes I will soon become an excellent cook, soon I will at least be able to go to “Master Chef”)). I’ve already learned how to cook stuffed pork and turkey with prunes, and now I’ve mastered the skill of making beef stroganoff. My husband is happy.))
Nastasya 01/18/15
Mmmmmm, amazingly delicious!
Julia 01/27/15
The meat turns out very tender and tasty. Now I cook only according to your recipe!
Tatyana 02/11/15
And right before frying, I roll the meat in flour and then spread it on the onions!) This way the meat is coated more evenly in flour and thereby seals the pores of the meat better and prevents juice from leaking out)
Ksenia 02/13/15
I made beef stroganoff for the first time; before that, I used to cook goulash or just fry meat in a frying pan. In principle, I liked this option because the meat turns out soft and tender, and the gravy with onions is also quite tasty. Now I won’t be afraid to cook beef stroganoff, nothing complicated, quick and tasty.
Olya 03/01/15
The whole family loves meat dishes, especially beef stroganoff. I like to serve them with a side dish of vegetables or various grains. Beef stroganoff made from fresh beef, served with herbs, is especially tasty.
Marishka 03/02/15
A very accessible and understandable recipe, especially for me, a novice housewife. My husband ate the beef stroganoff with pleasure, except he didn’t lick the plate! For preparation I used sour cream diluted with milk. Thank you!
Attica 03/02/15
This is the only way to cook juicy, soft meat! Verified :)
Irina 03/28/15
A delicacy, a real delicacy! I’ve heard a lot about this dish, but I only got around to making it now. The result exceeded all imaginable and unimaginable expectations! My husband, son and I licked all the plates and even the frying pan.
Serge 04/01/15
The best side dish for beef stogans is simple pasta or, if you want something more luxurious, spaghetti. Just prepare more sour cream gravy.
Sergey 03/22/16
Many recipes contain only step-by-step instructions for preparing a particular dish, and it is very rare to see not just “we do it, put it in, etc.”, but “we do it this way because, or we do it this way in order to.” Nice to read and just thank you.
Oksana 01.11.16
I always wanted to try beef stroganoff, but somehow never got around to it. I saw the recipe on your website. It turned out to be very simple, accessible and not so expensive. I made it yesterday. The taste is divine, my husband is delighted! Now I will cook all the time.
Evgeniya 11/23/16
Thank you very much for the recipe! I did everything as written - it turned out very tasty! My husband asked for more!
Alexander 12/11/16
Tasty. On a 10-point scale, the dish is a solid 8. Quite easy to prepare, with a delicate taste.
Natalia 02.28.17
Beef Stroganoff does not contain flour or sour cream! Only onions, meat, cream. Everything else is tasty, but not beef stroganoff. You can call it beef in white sauce (just not bechamel if you use sour cream).
Alyona
Natalia, it is naive to believe that there is only one recipe for beef stroganoff)))) And one little piece of advice: before criticizing and writing in capital letters, you should at least look at Wikipedia or something)))))
Evgenia 04/22/17
Each dish has its own companion, just like for herring we certainly choose mashed potatoes, and for beef stroganoff it is better to choose not pasta, but long flat vermicelli, which the Italians call fettuccine, with butter.
Alyona
Evgeniya, yes, it’s very tasty with fettuccine))))))))), but with pasta it’s also very good)))))))
Only the best proven beef stroganoff recipes on the website! Dishes with lingonberries, champignons and oyster mushrooms, with sour cream and cream, tomato paste and mustard, cooked in a slow cooker and in a frying pan. Preparation will take from half an hour to an hour and a half, and the result will exceed all expectations.
Beef for beef stroganoff should be chosen as least stringy. In this case, the meat will be easier to cut, and the dish will be more tender. It is optimal to use a product that has not been frozen.
The five most common ingredients found in beef stroganoff recipes are:
Classic beef stroganoff is prepared as follows:
1. Rinse thoroughly and dry the meat with a paper towel.
2. Cut into pieces half a centimeter thick and no more than five in length.
3. Fry onion rings in vegetable oil until golden brown.
4. Add meat on top of the onion and fry until brown.
5. Pour a mixture of sour cream, tomato paste, dry wine.
6. Add salt and spices.
7. Simmer covered until the meat is soft.
Five of the fastest beef stroganoff recipes:
Helpful Tips:
. Meat for beef stroganoff should be cut across the grain.
. Before stewing, it is recommended to fry the beef in a frying pan over high heat in one layer so that it does not release juice and subsequently becomes dry and tough. If there is a lot of meat, you can fry it in parts.
. Instead of tomato paste, you can use fresh tomatoes or ketchup.
